hardest of hearts
by tatty ted
Summary: No fourteen year old should be made to choose between their parents but that's exactly what's happened to Lauren Fairhead. She has a choice. She can either stay in Holby with her father or begin a new life in Canada with her mother and younger brother. Her decision isn't easy because no matter what she'll decide somebody will get hurt. - —Charlie/Baz/OC.
1. CHAPTER I

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**CHAPTER ONE**.  
_pray to god he hears you._

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She's meant to be upstairs revising for her upcoming exams but instead, she's been summoned to the living room because her parents need to talk to her. She doesn't know what's so important they have to talk to her now, asap.

She sits down on the sofa, eyes fixed on her brother who's playing cars in the middle of the living room. She places the book down beside her, looks at her parents who are acting strangely and asks; "Well? What's the news?"

"Oh I get it." She says, picks up her english book and throws it in the direction of her mother. In bounces off the wall and lands in a heep beside Baz; "You're getting a divorce aren't you?"

Charlie and Baz exchange a glance before they reply, "Yes we are."

"Why?"

They look at each other again, "Your father and I don't love each other anymore."

"Don't treat me like I'm some sort of idiot." Lauren answers, "I'm not Louis' age. I'm not some kid you can lie too to save your skin. Nobody _falls out of love_, there's a reason why people get divorced and _that_ is definitely not one of them."

She stands up, bends down and picks up her book, "When you can be bothered to talk to me like an adult, I'll be in my bedroom."

/

Lauren lies on her bed, legs in the air, flicking through the book she'd already read for a fourth time. Still, she knew she needed to know the book off by heart for the exam in a weeks time. Woah, a week? It really does go quickly doesn't it, she thinks.

She hears a knock on her bedroom door and Lauren looks at it. She calls the person into the room and the door opens and Baz pops her head around the door. She smiles at her only daughter and approaches the bed.

Lauren sits up, closes her book and looks at her mother; "You coming to talk to me like I'm an adult and not some little kid?"

Baz sighs and sits beside her daughter; "Your father and I haven't been happy for a while. We were protecting you, both you and Louis. And I know you're upset by the news but—"

"I'm not upset."

"What?"

She rests her head against Baz's shoulder; "I'm not upset, hell I've seen you two argue and I believe if you're unhappy then leave but—you and dad have been married for fourteen years. When you got married, you vowed to love each other for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. I don't understand that now, fourteen years later, you're throwing it away. For what?"

Baz sighs. Her daughter is intelligent and she takes her hand, "Whatever happens your father and I will always love you right?"

Lauren nods and nibbles her lower lip. There's a comfortable silence between the two until her mother blurts out;

"I've been offered a job in Canada and I'm going to take it. I want you to come with me Lauren." Lauren allows the news to sink in for a moment and shakes her head. She can't leave her father, she loves her father to pieces.

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**jottings** — writing too much recently, terrible isn't it? like it enough to favourite/alert, please review:3


	2. CHAPTER II

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**CHAPTER TWO**.  
_i never stood on my own two feet._

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All night she lies awake, worrying and worrying about the future. She couldn't be put in this situation it wasn't fair. What if she wanted to go to Canada with her mother and her father held it against her or vice versa?

What mother, what parent would ever leave a decision like this to their fourteen year old daughter? It wasn't a small decision like going to the shops today or tomorrow, no this would chance her whole life, we were talking different countries.

She falls asleep eventually, sucking her thumb like she's a child again. Charlie comes into her bedroom, tucks her up in bed and plants a kiss on her forehead. Then he watches her for a while, knowing that he might lose her any minute, especially if she decides to go with Baz.

He leaves the living room and returns downstairs where he pours himself a glass of wine. As he sits down, he takes a sip and wonders where they went wrong. Why after fourteen years they couldn't fix whatever problem they had? Maybe Lauren was right, maybe it was stupid to throw away marriage after this amount of time.

/

In the morning there's nothing exchanged at the breakfast table. Charlie and Baz don't talk, Lauren refuses to eat and even Louis seems distinct, playing with his strawberry jam on toast.

There's a horrible atmosphere between the four of them and eventually, Lauren gets sick of it. The sound of her chair scratching against the wooden flooring in the kitchen causes Baz and Charlie to look at her.

"Where are you going?"

"Upstairs." She answers, pushes her chair underneath the table, "I've got school today remember? I want to make the most of it before you drag me away from everything I've ever known to make you feel better."

She slams the door closed behind her so hard that it causes Louis to drop his toast on the floor.

/

She sits on the bed, swinging her legs backwards and forwards. She's dressed and ready for school but it's only gone eight and if she leaves now, she'll be really early. And nobody ever arrives until after eight-thirty anyway!

She throws the magazine on the floor, lies back and begins to count the tiles in the ceiling. It's quiet theraputic and she hears a knock on the door. She meets her father's gaze and he closes the door behind him, "Lauren?"

"Hmm." Charlie doesn't say anything so Lauren takes the opportunity to say something; "I can't choose between you and mum, it's unfair and impossible and I can't do it. What if one of you holds it against me for the rest of my life?"

He kisses her head; "I promise I will never hold it against you whatever you choose. You have to go with what you think is right."

Lauren smiles sadly and sticks out her pinky; "Pinky promise?"

Charlie wraps his own pinky around his daughter's and nods; "Pinky promise."

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**jottings** — if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review:3


	3. CHAPTER III

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**CHAPTER THREE**.  
_have i lost my mind?_

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She skives the last hour of school, it's only physical education and she never does that anyway. she goes to see her father at the hospital because she's got something to tell him. Yes, she wants to tell her father first; it'll be easier.

She sits on the edge of his desk, swinging her legs backwards and forwards wondering how to tell her father. She looks around the office, wondering how an earth her father's finds anything when it resembles a pig sty.

"Lauren?"

Lauren looks up, continuing to swing her legs, "Hi dad."

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

She nods as he closes the office door and sits down in front of her, "I've been thinking about what mum said."

There's a silence and Lauren jumps off the desk, walks towards her father and sits down on his lap. She rests her head on his shoulder and smiles gently, "I want to stay here with you, I don't want to go to Canada."

Charlie's silent, still trying to take in what his daughter's just said; "Are you sure?"

She nods, the feeling of uncertainty disappearing from her stomach; "If I go to Canada with mum and Louis who are you going to have? No-one! You're gonna be on your own and I don't want that, I can't have you wallowing in self-pity can I?"

Charlie laughs and hugs his daughter tightly thinking that miracles really do exist. She kisses her father's cheek, stands up and walks towards the door. As she pulls the door towards her and opens it, she turns to Charlie; "I'll see you tonight then? Love you."

/

Saturday 19th, 2pm — three weeks after she decided she'd rather stay in England and see her mother and brother twice a year. Nope it wasn't ideal but Lauren stuck by her decision to stay with her father, she didn't want him to be alone.

The airport is busy, thousands of people coming home from holiday or flying away for new adventures. Charlie, Baz, Lauren and Louis are all huddled together, Lauren biting her lip anxiously. Come to think of it, she wasn't too sure what she was doing.

Did she still want to stay here?

Lauren bends down and wraps her arms around her brother and hugs him tightly, "I love you Louis, be good." She taps his nose and he smiles brightly at his sister, not quiet grasping the concept that'll be six months from now, he'll next see her.

A tear rolls down her cheeks and she curses herself! She said she wouldn't cry!

Baz catches that her daughter's crying and smiles sadly, "Hey, it's okay." She wipes her daughter's tears, hugs her tightly and kisses the top of her head. Lauren sobs softly and Baz jokes; "You're gonna set me off in a minute."

Lauren laughs through her tears, "I love you mum."

"I love you too."

Baz takes Louis' hand and takes one last look at Charlie and Lauren before disappearing into the airport. Lauren laces her fingers with her father's and smiles sadly, wiping the tears with her other hand; "It's just us from now on dad."

"Just us." He answers back, squeezes her hand and smiles.

Just him and his daughter, forever.

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**jottings** — this is the ending, just a short story that wouldn't leave me alone. per-lease if you like it enough to favourite, don't forget to leave a review;3


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